1. The media and most medical shows portray nurses as subordinate sidekicks while the doctors jump in and do everything. I had to laugh when I watched an episode of House where the doc was giving an enema. That would not happen in real life.

2. Doctors, as a professional group, are represented by the powerful AMA. Their public image is fine-tuned and information is released to the public about how important they are. Nurses lack this powerful representation. No one is telling the public how important we are.

To :The Commuter": I completely agree with the nursing profession lacking powerful representation. Though we have are American Nurses Association, etc. they are not as a cohesive group as the AMA. Nurses know that these nursing organizations can be just as powerful, if only the organizational leaders stop their bickering, infighting, betrayals of trust and confidence toward their "young", their colleagues, and the nursing profession overall. We outnumber physicians; we too save lives; nurses have saved new and old physicians from making severe errors; we even teach the young physicians. As a nurse with 20 years experience, it still saddens me that nurses are portrayed in this way by the media. Nurses must demand that their nursing organizations represent them in a professional manner and nursing organizations need to clean up their act. Then and only then, can we have a powerful lobbying group for nurses in this country. Just my opinion of 20 years.

I hope someone understands me when I say, that I am scared to become a nursing student if this is how we will be treated. I know there is drama and mistrust everywhere. Yet, I chose nursing to save lives, take the extra mile and get to know my patients and I do not see Doctors 'getting to know their patients'. In my personal 'patient' experience, nurses have always took their time to get to know me, and only one surgeon took his time and opened up to me when I was pregnant, needing emergency gall bladder surgery.

So why would I want to be a doctor and not a nurse, especially when I am close to graduation and tired of school? I feel like I am starting to second guess myself and that what i want is in doctoral medicine not nursing but like I said above, nurses are the ones that get to know their patients and save lives as well.. I guess I feel that nurses are seen as the 'slaves' and doctors are the ones that call the shots and solve the puzzles.

:/ I think I need coffee, I do not know why my mind is thinking this way. Please forgive me.

1. The media and most medical shows portray nurses as subordinate sidekicks while the doctors jump in and do everything. I had to laugh when I watched an episode of House where the doc was giving an enema. That would not happen in real life.

2. Doctors, as a professional group, are represented by the powerful AMA. Their public image is fine-tuned and information is released to the public about how important they are. Nurses lack this powerful representation. No one is telling the public how important we are.

Not true. Alas, I am not allowed to give the name here of a terrific organization that does, in fact, spend a lot of time getting the truth about nursing realities out to media, including press, TV, radio, and YouTube. Another is the ANA and other state nursing orgs. Alas, the media need strong, consistent, and frequent education on why they should contact nursing orgs and nursing experts for health-related stories as often, or more often, than physicians.

Other than that, nurses can certainly help in this effort. EVERY time you see nursing slighted, misrepresented, or completely absent, don't just whine about it. Write. Call. Email. Educate. I do this all the time and have actually had reporters come back to thank me and tell me I have changed their practice. I have had letters to the editor appear in print more times than I can count. What if there were a lot more of me?

Here's some language you can use.
"Strongly recommend you contact XXXX nurse practitioners, not physicians, for your piece. There is ample research (some even published in the physician literature) to indicate that patients of advanced practice nurses have better patient outcomes, higher satisfaction, and better education and support than those of physicians. You will get better information for your readers and serve them better using such a nurse for your piece.

Note also that there are many advanced practice nurses with doctorates. These are called "doctors." If you want to talk about MDs or DOs, use the word "physicians."

Finally, your editor (or you) probably reflexively think that physicians are better resources for health-related issues because you think they are more highly educated in all phases of health care and management; think again. Do your editor, and yourself, a favor and read Summers and Summers' classic book "Saving Lives: Why the media's portrayal of nursing endangers us all." Many writers and editors have learned to do a better job and serve the public better on health care (as opposed to illness care) since educating themselves thus. You can also go to (sorry, I cannot give this link on AllNurses...but it's not CNN) and see how others in your business have handled this important health issue, for good or for ill. You will thank me for it-- many reporters have!"

Doctors are covered, and paid, by insurance companies. Doctors bill directly and insurance companies pay part of their bills. If they are affiliated with hospitals, doctors make their money through insurance companies and some private payment. Nurses (with the exception of Nurse Practitioners in some states) cannot bill directly. We cannot bill patients and we cannot bill insurance companies. This has historically cut down on our power.

I found Nurse Jackie really made the trials and responsibilities of nursing visible. The drug addiction gave viewers a visual cue that all the conflict/death was not just rolling off her back. In real life the emotional angst isn't visible, but it's still there. How many of us have gotten up for a shift and felt that we just don't have the strength to face the crap we know is coming?